


39

by jadztone



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Birthday Sex, Don't copy to another site, First Time, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 07:09:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20041942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadztone/pseuds/jadztone
Summary: Neville's 39th birthday plans involve a quiet day treating himself to a new plant and a decadent dessert. What he doesn't bargain on is running into a former enemy.  But Draco's appearance doesn't sour his day, instead he makes it much, much sweeter.





	39

39 was not an age for birthday parties, Neville mused. Though it had been hinted by Luna that perhaps next year there could be a joint 40th birthday celebration for he and Harry. He supposed after all this time he was no longer irritated by folks lumping them together, with Harry’s star always shining noticeably brighter. He just didn’t care anymore.

He did still care enough about birthdays to be self-indulgent. Later today he’d be picking up an order from Tangina’s Terrarium, and he was practically vibrating with anticipation. He’d been coveting the Dragon’s Eye plant for years. The flower, when it was open, resembled a dragon’s eye, and most people found it unsettling the way it seemed to follow one around the room. It even occasionally puffed out a little mist of water, which resembled smoke. It was very rare, and therefore very expensive. But soon he’d be heading off to Hogwarts as the brand new Herbology professor. With free room and board at the school, he could now afford a few luxuries. 

Dillyd Alley was a small street off Diagon that catered to people with more specialty interests than the typical shopper. Neville could explore the Terrarium for hours, and he’d been known to lose a full day perusing the herbology journals and research papers at the Wizarding Library’s publishing center. No time for that today, he was anxious to pick up his plant and get it home safe and sound. 

He made a slight detour to Pansy’s Patisserie, which was Luna’s favourite bakery. She had insisted that Neville go by and pick out a treat for his birthday and put it on her tab. He was somewhat uneasy about consuming something made by a former Slytherin, but Luna assured him that Pansy’s scheming days were behind her. She was too proud of her creations and her reputation to sabotage someone’s confection out of petty school rivalry. Besides, noted Luna, Pansy herself had taken the summer off as she was having her third child. 

As Neville approached the shop, he saw that it was closed, with a small sign that said, “Back in 22.” As he stood there wondering how long ago the sign had been put up, he saw it magically tick down to 21. He sighed. He had no desire to stand outside a shop for that long cooling his heels. He decided to pick up the plant first and then swing back by the bakery. 

The Dragon’s Eye was every bit as beautiful as he’d dreamt of. The flower was completely unfurled, and it appeared to watch his every move as he chatted with Tangina and completed his purchase. She offered to have it delivered, but he couldn’t bear to be parted from it a moment longer. 

Neville left the Terrarium, and was passing by Fillian’s Apothecary when he almost collided with someone. He felt a spike of anxiety at the near miss, it would have been a disaster for his plant. The anxiety turned to irritation when he saw the pale blond hair. He only knew two people with hair like that, and Luna’s was more wavy. 

Draco Malfoy turned his head and blinked in surprise to see Neville standing there. “Longbottom!” 

Neville had expected to hear the familiar sneering voice, but his tone was actually pleasant. He nodded warily. “Malfoy.” His eyes were drawn once again to Draco’s pale hair. He’d heard that Draco was wearing it long these days, but it’s been several years since he laid eyes on his former nemesis. Longer still since he’d spoken a word to him. The long hair suited him. He was still pale and pointed, but there was a ruggedness that settled over his features with the way he groomed his facial hair - too short for a beard but too long to be called stubble. The cascade of hair softened the look. 

Neville was pleased to see that the style was not the same as his father’s. There were two braids that curved against both sides of his scalp, reminding Neville a bit of two slender snakes. Probably why Draco favoured the look. Neville had the odd urge to reach up and run his fingers the length of the braids. He found that he was glad his hands were occupied.

Draco’s eyes flickered to the plant Neville was cradling, and his eyes widened in wonder. “A Dragon’s Eye! It’s beautiful!” The flower lazily turned until it was facing Draco, and instead of looking creeped out, Malfoy smirked at it. “I haven’t seen one of these in a long time. My…my mother used to have one.” He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Is it for the greenhouse at Hogwarts?”

Neville shook his head. “No, it doesn’t have any educational value apart from being a curiosity. I plan to keep it in my room away from inexperienced students.”

Draco nodded. “A personal collection, I understand fully.” He patted the box he was carrying. “I was just picking up some ingredients to replenish my private store, which is forbidden to students. Fillian’s has the best and rarest supplies for my experiments. The school potions cupboard gets stocked from Slug and Jiggers.”

The mention of Hogwarts reminded Neville of the fact that they would soon be colleagues. Draco has been the Potions Master for seven years, since Slughorn took his much anticipated second retirement. It was one reason why he hadn’t seen much of Draco around, with them being on opposite sides of the country for most of the year. Soon they would both be residing within the same castle that had housed them during their childhood. A time during which they had been bitter enemies. Neville found himself wondering what Draco was like now. Surely he must have changed if Headmistress McGonagall had been willing to hire him.

Draco cocked his head as he continued to regard the plant. “So are there no practical uses for the Dragon’s Eye?”

Neville shook his head again. “Purely decorative.”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “I find that hard to believe. Perhaps it’s just that no one was willing to experiment on them.”

Neville turned slightly away from Draco, unnerved by the gleam in his eyes. “Of course not, it’s too beautiful to damage. No one is getting their hands on it,” he said in a warning tone.

A grin flashed across Draco’s face, transforming it. Neville felt a shiver of desire come out of nowhere. Draco bit his lip and gave Neville a pleading look. “You couldn’t even part with the clippings from when you prune it?” 

Neville felt his neck and face flush, and tried to blame it on the July sunshine. He huffed in faux irritation. “I suppose I can save you the pruned bits.” He regarded Draco with suspicion. “I can tell already you’re going to be skulking around my greenhouse. I guess I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”

Draco chuckled, looking completely unrepentant. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” The look he darted towards Neville seemed almost flirtatious. It was hard to tell, he’d been out of the dating game for many years now. 

Neville cleared his throat. “Well, I have another errand to run and then I have to get this precious cargo back home.”

It seemed like regret flickered in Draco’s eyes. “Mmm, and I have to get back to Pansy’s shop. I’ve been away too long.”

Neville raised his eyebrows. “The patisserie?”

Draco nodded. “Pansy asked for help running the shop for her this summer while she’s with her new baby. I left it for a bit to pop into Fillian’s.”

“Oh, well that’s actually where I was headed. I stopped by there first, but saw it was closed.”

Draco grinned again and Neville felt slightly light-headed. “Well then, come along. Mustn’t keep a customer waiting.” He led the way back to the bakery, and pulled out his wand to unlock the shop. “So, what is it you’re interested in?”

Neville ignored the tiny voice that said he found Draco interesting, and focused on the display of sweets. “Well, I quite like desserts with fresh fruit on top, whether it’s sponge cake or cheesecake or a tart. I’m partial to raspberries.”

Draco gave him a sultry smile. “You like things tart. My kind of man.” Neville blinked, feeling flustered. “Well, we do have some lovely tarts today. The crusts came out perfectly. How big do you need it? What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, erm, uh, not that big. It’s for my…my birthday tonight, but it’s uh…just me.” Neville’s face reddened again, he hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. 

He hoped he wouldn’t see pity on Draco’s face, he quite liked his solitary life. But instead he saw understanding in Draco’s eyes, his short nod seeming to say that he could relate. “Happy birthday, Neville,” he said softly. “I think this will be the perfect size, don’t you?” He indicated one of the delightful looking tarts in the display. “You’ll have some left over to have with your coffee in the morning. It holds up very well overnight.”

Neville nodded a little jerkily, trying to keep his cool. “Yes, that sounds splendid. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have it delivered tonight. I already have my hands full, as you can see. Um…my friend Luna wanted me to put the dessert on her tab, but I’ll pay the delivery fee myself.” He gave Draco his address, and then pulled out some sickles. 

Draco boxed up the tart and set it aside in a chiller until it was time to deliver. He gave Neville a pleasant smile. “I’ll see you later tonight, then.”

Neville’s eyes widened. “Uh…what?”

Draco’s smile faltered. “I make the deliveries when I close up the shop. You’re…okay with me showing up to your flat, right?”

“Oh! Yeah, that’s fine. Sorry, dunno what I was thinking. What time does the shop close?”

Draco relaxed a bit. “Eight. I have some other deliveries to make, but I shouldn’t be later than 8:30.”

Neville nodded. “Right, see you then.” Feeling much too flustered to stick around, he awkwardly turned and left the shop.

As he carefully apparated back to his flat, Neville wondered what the hell was going on. He was too old for raging hormones. It was true that it had been a very long time since he’d been with anyone intimately, but it wasn’t like his brain was shorting out with every attractive wizard who crossed his path. Somehow Malfoy was getting to him. 

Neville spent a quiet afternoon tending to his Dragon’s Eye, repotting it and selecting the perfect spot for it. He carefully read the scroll of instructions that came with it. He’d already done plenty of research on how to care for Dragon’s Eye, but Tangina always had some special tips.

As evening fell, he popped out to the grocer for dinner ingredients, then set to preparing and then consuming his favourite dish, veggie alfredo. At 8:25 there was a knock on the door. Neville’s heart started hammering as the last washed and dried dish soared through the air and landed in the cupboard. “Stop it,” he whispered harshly, though his body refused to cooperate.

He walked over to the door and opened it. The boxed tart was hovering in the air, Draco standing behind it with his arms behind his back. “Delivery for Neville Longbottom.” He smiled softly.

Neville huffed out a laugh and reached out to take the box. Draco brought one of his arms forward, revealing a bouquet of white flowers. “Happy Birthday! I thought you might like these. They’re moon flowers.”

Neville frowned a little, wondering why Draco of all people would be giving him flowers. But he did like them. “Thank you, that’s very kind.” He put the tart on the little table by the door and took the flowers.

Draco twisted his other arm around to reveal a bottle. “I also got you a bottle of dessert wine that goes really well with that tart. My gift to you, both for your birthday and as sort of an advanced welcome to Hogwarts. I look forward to working with you.” His eyes were warm, and Neville was touched. Then his eyes dropped to the bottle of wine, and he suddenly felt stricken. He remembered how in 6th year, Ron had been poisoned by a bottle of mead that Draco had sent to Slughorn with the intent of it being passed along to Dumbledore. 

Some of Neville’s remembered horror must have shown on his face, because Draco pulled back his outstretched arm. “Neville?” His tone was hesitant.

Neville shook his head to clear out the ugly memory. “I’m sorry, I just remem…” He stopped, not wanting Draco to know what he’d been thinking. 

But he must have realized what was on Neville’s mind, because his pale face whitened even more and his eyes were full of anguish. “Oh,” he said in a small voice. “I’ll just um…” He looked down at the bottle in his hand, and his skin actually seemed to take on a green caste. “I’ll go now.” He turned to leave, his expression despondent.

Neville lunged forward and grasped his arm. “No, Draco, wait! I’m sorry. So, so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Draco stopped, but kept his head averted. “I understand, Neville. I doubt any of us will ever get over the war. And I’m used to it. Stuff like this coming up. It’s the consequence I pay for being on the wrong side.”

Neville put the flowers on the same table as the tart, and stepped closer, grasping Draco’s other arm with his other hand. “I think you’ve paid enough, Draco. I’m really sorry I ruined what was a very sincere and thoughtful gesture on your part.” He dropped his right hand and slid the bottle from Draco’s grasp. “Please let me make it up to you. Join me?” He tugged a little on Draco’s arm. 

Draco finally looked up at him. “Join you?”

Neville nodded. “Share the tart. And the wine.” He smiled encouragingly. “You can give me the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a professor at Hogwarts.”

Draco’s lips trembled, but he returned the smile. “Alright, then. “ He let Neville guide him inside. Neville reluctantly dropped his hand from Draco’s arm, using it to indicate the direction of the kitchen. As Draco followed his lead, Neville accio’d a vase from the cupboard and levitated the flowers into it, setting it gently down on the kitchen table. With a flick of his wand, the tart removed itself from the box and two slices were neatly cut and placed onto tiny plates. The wine uncorked and poured itself into two glasses.

Draco relaxed as Neville made a show of taking the first sip of wine. It really was quite good. Taking a deep breath, Draco launched into a discussion of what it was like to sit at the head table in the Great Hall. As they talked, Neville was delighted to see that Draco had a lively wit. He was just as acerbic as he had been in school, but without the hurtfulness. Before they knew it, they’d polished off both the tart and the bottle of wine. 

Draco looked ruefully at the empty tin. “Sorry, mate. I guess you won’t get to see what it tastes like with coffee in the morning.”

Neville shrugged one shoulder, the wine making his limbs feel pleasantly heavy. “It’s alright. I like to have my coffee in bed, and now I don’t have to worry about crumbs in my sheets.”

Draco’s face went bright pink, and he wouldn’t meet Neville’s eyes. He wondered at it a moment, before he realized Draco must have been imagining him in bed. So…the attraction was mutual?

Licking his lips, he continued, “Yep, planning to have a lie in tomorrow. Indulge one last little bit, you know.” Draco gave him a look that could have been longing or envy. “I suppose you have to be up bright and early for the Patisserie.”

Draco slowly shook his head. “We’ve been taking turns. Millicent has the shift tomorrow. I’m…free as a bird.” His eyes darted to Neville’s lips, and then away. 

Neville took a deep breath and then nodded his head, making a decision. “You know, I think one of the advantages of being almost 40 is the feeling of wanting to just cut through all the bullshit. It feels like we both have ideas about how we want the rest of the night to go. So I’m just going to say it, and please don’t hex me if I’m wrong. Okay?” He looked up at Draco, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart. 

The look Draco was giving him, Merlin’s beard, the heat of it went right to Neville’s cock. “Just say it, Neville. And I might hex you a little if you do get it wrong.” He tilted his head so that he was gazing at him through his pale lashes.

Neville stood up, slightly unsteadily and rounded the kitchen table. Reaching out his hand and tangling his fingers in the soft, silky hair at the nape of Draco’s neck, he leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Come to bed with me, Draco.”

He felt the shiver that passed through Draco’s body. “Fucking finally,” he breathed, and he stood up. 

The first kiss was soft, tentative, and so sweet that Neville felt himself melt into Draco. But after that their kisses became deeper, more urgent. Neville had both hands in Draco’s hair now, and he didn’t ever want to remove them. Draco moaned into his mouth and Neville forgot how to breathe. He lifted his head, gasping, “Bed, now.” 

He reluctantly pulled away as he led the way back to his bedroom. Draco threw him a smirk when he saw the Dragon’s Eye on the bedside table. “I see we’re going to have an audience.”

Neville gave him a sheepish smile. “I hope it doesn’t bother you.” Draco’s response was to strip down to nothing in mere seconds. “Guess not.” He took slightly longer to rid himself of his own clothes. He kept getting distracted by watching Draco climb onto the bed and slowly crawl his way up, his arse swaying as he practically sashayed on all fours up to the head of the bed. Then he turned onto his back and lounged against the pillows, his platinum hair fanned out everywhere.

Neville had never been harder in his life, and when he was finally naked, he scrambled gracelessly up to join Draco, gathering him in to his arms and groaning at the feel of skin to skin contact. He looked down into Draco’s grey eyes and sighed. “Fuck, you’re absolutely gorgeous. I don’t understand why you’re not…”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Not what?”

Neville shrugged. “Married, I guess. Or with someone. I dunno, it’s a dumb thing to say. I just feel like I can’t believe my luck.”

Draco’s eyes blinked rapidly and he looked away. “Ever since the war, I’ve had people constantly looking at me the way that…that you looked at me earlier when you remembered the mead. Especially with the trials, it all came out and everyone knew every little detail of what I’d done. The only people who would look at me without disgust were purebloods who were disappointed that the war ended the way it did. After a while, I just…stopped hoping for a connection. Getting hired at Hogwarts was the best thing that could happen to me. I gave up on relationships at that point.”

Neville tightened his arms around Draco. “I’m sorry I brought it up, love. I keep putting my foot in it, don’t I? Look at me, please.” He gently nudged Draco’s chin so that he looked back up at Neville. “One of the reasons I’m not with anyone is because of how people saw me after the war. I didn’t like being seen as a hero, I’m just a man who loves plants.” He dragged his thumb across Draco’s cheek. “It’s been more than two decades since the war. It no longer defines us. I, for one, am looking forward to getting to know the real you. Starting with exploring every inch of your delightful body. Alright?”

The warmth that blazed out of Draco’s eyes could have lit the entirety of London. Neville didn’t even wait for him to respond, he began kissing his way down Draco’s torso, feeling the rise of his chest as he gave a contented sigh. 

*

Draco felt his skin lighting up as Neville’s beard scraped down over the most sensitive spots of his body. He’d never been with someone who had a beard before. He was familiar with the scrape of stubble, but a full beard was somewhat softer. Ticklish and a little bit scratchy. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make his flesh sing with the sensation of it.

Bloody hell, it feels like it’s my birthday, he thought as Neville’s mouth closed over his cock. He let out a whimper that would be embarrassing except that it seemed to spur Neville on as he sucked harder and started gently massaging his balls. 

Draco shuddered at the intimacy of it. Neville’s face, his attention, was centered on the most vulnerable part of Draco’s body (other than his heart). Draco hadn’t had much sex in his life, mostly because he never felt like he could trust someone with the most secret parts of him. But Neville was different. Even knowing how much Neville had loathed him growing up, Draco knew he could trust Neville with anything. Neville would never deliberately hurt someone unless they were hurting others, in which case he became an unstoppable force. 

Draco started panting as Neville’s hands skimmed up and down the sides of his body, pausing to press gently on his hips whenever Draco started to buck up into his mouth. He must have been able to tell that Draco was about to come, because he pulled off of his cock and sidled up until he was draped on top of him. Draco whined in protest at the loss of that delicious wet heat, but Neville more than made up for it as he started to slide their cocks together. 

As he peeked down at Neville’s erection, Draco was surprised to realize that he wanted it in him. Breathless, he clutched at Neville’s shoulders, moaning loudly when he wrapped his large hand around the two of them and began to stroke. Draco had never been fucked before, never wanted it at all. If even a blowjob seemed too intimate, certainly having his body invaded was way over the line. Only one of his previous encounters had involved penetrative sex, and it was Draco that had topped. He’d enjoyed it right up until the other wizard moaned that he wanted to be dominated by a ‘bad boy.’ That had killed the mood entirely.

But now, twenty years later, Draco found that he wanted to be the one dominated by Neville. He wanted to be filled by him, covered by him, feel his strong hands holding him down on the mattress like he’d done with his hips, thrusting into him until he screamed. The very thought of it triggered his orgasm and he moaned Neville’s name as he came all over his long, tanned fingers. 

Soon Neville was choking out his name as he came too, his face buried in Draco’s neck. The beard tickled the delicate flesh there and Draco shivered as his cock pulsed one last time at the sensation. Neville let go of their cocks, wiping his hand on the sheet. He reached around to give Draco’s arse an appreciative squeeze before sliding his hand up until it tangled in his hair. Draco’s lips curved into a smile at Neville’s obvious fascination with his tresses. 

They kissed and kissed as they came down from the rush of hormones that flooded them in the wake of the best sex of Draco’s life. He could only hope that Neville was amenable to doing it again, because he very much wanted to make his little fantasy a reality.

When they settled to the point of sleepiness, Draco reluctantly pulled away and started to climb out of bed. Neville clutched at him and made a noise of discontent. “Please don’t leave, Draco. When I said all that stuff earlier about a lie in tomorrow…I was hinting that I wanted you to stay.”

Draco leaned over and kissed him. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, you berk. I’m just going to fetch my wand to clean us up.”

True to his word, he was back in moments, and soon their bodies and the sheets were no longer a sticky mess. Neville practically dragged him into his arms, and Draco didn’t protest in the slightest. “This was the best birthday ever,” Neville murmured, his eyes drooping into sleep. 

*

Draco made his way into the bedroom, a cup of coffee in each hand. He paused, smiling warmly at Neville as he lay sleeping. The sheet hardly covered his legs, leaving the curve of his arse and his torso bare to Draco’s gaze…and the gaze of the Devil’s Eye, though the plant seemed unaffected. Draco was very affected. He still marveled that he was privileged to be in this room. He had long had a crush on Neville. Not because of his deeds during the war, though that certainly made his heart beat faster when he thought of it. Rather, it was the quiet dignity with which Neville had got on with his life ever since then. Draco longed for such peace. Perhaps the next best thing would be to bask in the peace that Neville exuded. 

Draco spent years frustrated that their paths never seemed to cross with any frequency. When Pomona announced an early retirement so she could devote her time to research, he’d wasted no time in suggesting Neville as her replacement. Draco was content that he would soon get to spend every day in his company, in the hope that maybe they could build something between them. Friendship at the very least…but given how meltingly attractive Neville was, Draco hoped for more. 

He was still dumbfounded that things progressed more quickly than planned due to their unexpected encounter yesterday. He just hoped that it didn’t complicate things. He couldn’t bear it if he lost Neville, now that he knows what it feels like to be in his arms, to have those gentle, caring eyes trained on him. 

Draco gingerly set the two cups of coffee next to the plant, then eased onto the other side of the bed, pulling out the copy of the Prophet he’d been carrying under his arm. The date read July 31st. It was a famous date in their community, heralding the birth of Harry Potter 39 years ago. 

Neville stirred, likely from the scent of the coffee. He opened his eyes and looked up in confusion for a moment. Then his expression cleared as he remembered last night, his lips curving into a bright smile. Draco grinned back at him and leaned down for a kiss. Neville gave a throaty chuckle as he tugged at what was left of Draco’s braid. “I got a bit carried away with your hair last night. Your braids are absolutely wrecked.” Draco tried to look stern, but he was thoroughly disarmed by the tender expression on Neville’s face. “I’ll help you redo them after we’re done with our coffee. ‘Kay?” 

Draco nodded, then ducked his head and attempted to breathe through the lump in his throat. He turned back to his newspaper, staring once more at the date. July 31st. From this day forward, it would have a different meaning for Draco. It would be remembered as the day he fell in love with Neville Longbottom.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me gushing about these two lovelies at dreville.tumblr.com.


End file.
